New York City’s largest arts education organization celebrated its efforts Nov. 16 with one of the craziest artistic endeavors you’ve ever heard of: staging six fully produced short plays in just 24 hours.
The 15th annual 24 Hour Plays on Broadway event harnessed dozens of talented artists, including directors Thomas Kail, Patricia McGregor, and Kathy Najimi, and a cast of performers that included Edie Falco, Taran Killam, John Krasinski, Jay Pharoah, Phylicia Rashad, Molly Ringwald, and Vanessa Williams. Held at the American Airlines Theatre with the set of Roundabout Theatre’s “Old Times” as a backdrop, the evening benefited Urban Arts Partnership (UAP), the organization dedicated to using the arts to close the achievement gap in some of the city’s most impoverished public schools.
“We bring the arts back into schools in a way that can never be taken out again,” said CEO Phillip Courtney in his opening remarks onstage. “Our teaching artists every day work with [schools] to create these amazing curricula that enrich and enlighten the classrooms, and make those kids really, really excited and engaged.” He also introduced Alyssa “Lady Logic” Saunders, whose life on the streets was transformed upon discovering art, music, film, and theater through UAP and earning the Nagler Scholarship award. Saunders opened the evening with a stunning spoken word performance that brought the audience to their feet.
“We are so proud to be part of this process; we believe firmly in the education of people about the value of theater in our schools, the value of theater in our lives,” said director of production of The 24 Hour Plays company Philip Naudé before going on to explain how so many theater pros came together to produce the show. “These artists work tirelessly throughout the day, putting together these short plays with an incredible staff of artisans, production teams, technicians of the theater—all of whom work in a creative way to share the experience together, to share a day doing what we love to do.”
Rosie Perez (center) and the cast of the 24 Hour Plays on Broadway. Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Urban Arts Partnership.
“We come up on the stage and make complete asses of ourselves—for the kids,” said actor-activist Rosie Perez, chair of UAP’s artistic board, midway through the show. “I am who I am because somebody cared. Not only with their heart, but quite frankly, with their pocket. It made a difference in my life. We just want to offer that same difference to all these kids’ lives.”
After performing the six short plays (by writers David Lindsay-Abaire, Rachel Axler, David Cross, Dipika Guha, Jonathan Marc Sherman, and Lucy Thurber), the artists gathered at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill to celebrate. “What’s interesting is when you’re doing work like this, you take yourself out of it,” Jason Biggs told Backstage. “That’s what’s great about this particular charity, this particular night; you get people up onstage who are doing things they would never do in any other role.”
How does an actor help conceive, rehearse, remember, and perform a new play in just 24 hours? Actor Tracie Thoms, who also serves on the organization’s artistic board, has participated in the event many times. “Tons of times,” she said. “But it’s terrifying. Right before you go on, you forget everything!”
For more information on UAP—and donate to help promote the arts in underserved schools—visit urbanarts.org.
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